The first dental visit – Paediatric Dentist

Even if a child has been to the dentist before, they often do not know what to expect when they come to see us. As a practice limited to paediatric dentistry, our first visit aims to meet you (the parent or guardian) and your child, while introducing you to our child-friendly dental environment. On the first visit we will look at your referral letter (if you have one) and examine your child’s teeth to assess the treatment need. We will take x-rays and clinical photographs as indicated, all the baseline information to get the best individual plan together for your child’s dental care. We will also assess your child’s coping abilities and determine how best to approach treatment to ensure your child manages well, depending on treatment complexity, previous experience, age and development. In most cases treatment is not started at the consultation appointment to allow thorough discussion with the parent(s) regarding individual needs.

Our waiting room

Our dental surgery

Many children will only need a caring approach and gentle introduction to the dental setting in order to cope with treatment. Young or anxious children may require a different approach to their dental treatment including the need for nitrous oxide inhalation sedation (happy air!) or a general anaesthetic. We will discuss all these options in detail before a plan is decided upon.

In most cases non-emergency treatment is not started at the consultation appointment to allow thorough discussion with the parent(s) regarding individual needs. If a child is in pain or has infection we will prescribe relevant medications to control this. By the end of the initial consultation we aim to have a provisional individual treatment plan formulated, including an estimate of costs and number of visits required. You may be presented with different treatment options for discussion at home.

On leaving the surgery you will be given a new appointment and also given all our contact details so if you have any queries regarding the plan we are easy to access at any time.